Even death can not keep us apart
by Elise.v
Summary: 'Merlin falls in battle whilst saving the life of his precious King. Arthur is broken from it and doesn't know how to move on. But then he sees a small green potion sitting upon his desk, and he knows what to do. ' A collection of a short story and following one-shots / drabbles
1. The Horn Of Cathbhadh

**'The Horn Of Cathbhadh' **

* * *

The King tried to hold on to the little hope there was left with all his might. Though when he saw that a white, fire-spitting dragon was on the enemy's side, he knew that the battle would be lost before it had even begun. And for the first time since he had entered Camlann, he stood there frozen by fear, not daring to attack and thereby lead his men to their death.  
Desperately as he was, he lifted his gaze to the skies, already praying to the gods for help. And almost directly, as if the gods had answered him, a cloaked man appeared on the ledge of the cliff, holding a magical scepter. His hood pulled a dark shadow over his face, only allowing his smirking lips to be seen. His dark blue cloak was made of a lustrous fabric and had golden edges that almost seemed to shine. It was blown in all directions by the strong wind and it made him look very powerful. Obviously a sorcerer.

_PLEASE! Just for once, let him be the good guy!  
_

The sorcerer looked up surprised to see the white dragon flying in his direction, opening its mouth and readying itself to burn the man. The creature was stopped by the man's hand that lifted, and when the sorcerer began to speak, no scratch that, _roar_, it turned on its heels and flew away.

The King lifted his head once more to the skies, and he slowly mouthed "Thank you". The sorcerer had given him the courage to look at the enemy before him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Drawing Excalibur and pointing the immortal blade towards the magical army, his voice resounded loud down in the gap.

"For the love of Camelot!" he had shouted as loud as he could. His loyal soldiers, all of them equally prepared to die for their Kingdom, echoed his words and mirrored his movement. Hundreds of swords were drawn; _The sound of war.  
_

Arthur's heart pounded into his throat whilst time seemed to slow down and the sounds died away. This was the moment he had to run down, and fight for dear life.  
He was unsure if he had made the right choices, if he somehow could have prevented this murderous war, and found that his eyes were drawn towards the cloaked sorcerer. The figure gave him an encouraging nod, and in contrast to everything around him, the movement was in normal speed.

As his eyes focused once more upon his sister's approaching army, time went back to normal and he saw they began to run faster and faster, their war cries coming back to the world of the living.

He ran with all his might down the hill, his army hot on his heels. The first soldier, a big bearded man dressed in black and armor, raised his sword. Quickly Arthur dodged the man and stabbed him through his chest. He clenched his teeth and faced his following enemy._ No time for mercy._

Soon the King discovered he was outnumbered and with each red cloaked body that fell he felt more defeated. He wouldn't give up, though. He was fighting off two men at once, when suddenly a bolt of lightning hit one of them. Arthur flinched and found himself staring at nothing more than a smoking pile of dust. Stunned, he looked up towards the cliff to see that the scepter was shining a bright blue. Why did this sorcerer help him?  
_Concentrate! _he told himself. _Every second counts._

Many long minutes had crept by painfully slow, in which more and more men had fallen. Both of the armies were rapidly thinning out, the battle colouring the field with red, black and silver.

The sharp scream of a woman pierced through the fog in his mind caused by adrenaline and exhaustion. It tore him out of his concentration and urged him to look up. After quickly finishing the man he was fighting with, he ran towards one side of the valley, out of immediate danger. This gave him the chance to lift his gaze.

The sorcerer was frozen in place, his scepter still pointing in the direction of the rock upon which was standing... _a statue of his sister._ She just stood there, turned into stone in her last movement. Her arms defensively in front of her, eyes squeezed shut and her jaws clenched, preparing herself for the spell that had attacked her.

He couldn't help but stare at it. Only when he noticed his vision was blurring with tears, he quickly wept his eyes with the back of his hand. He wouldn't cry about the person who has caused so much harm. Roughly, he blinked a few times to push her to the back of his mind. Looking around, a small smile caught his lips.

Having no longer a leader, the part that had survived up until now started to flee one by one. It seemed Camelot had won. Though the smile faded when he realized how much it had cost.  
When Arthur was sure that the Black Army was nowhere to be seen anymore, he returned to the Camp. Though half on his way he felt that the waves of adrenaline were beginning to ebb away, making sure he would get conscious of the small cuts and bruises he had received during the fight. He had to sit down for a moment, knowing otherwise he would lose consciousness right away.

The king tried to make his pose as comfortable as possible, not easy when your seat is consisting of sand and a big rock, but not hard either when nagging pain and exhaustion are the dominant feelings. Minutes passed slowly as he tried to get his strength back. His throat was sore of the short breaths he took so he tried to soften the pain by swallowing. However, all his attempts were in vain as his mouth was bone-dry, every gasp making him thirstier.  
He leaned his head backwards and forced himself to breathe through his nose.  
When something on the cliff moved, he looked up to see the sorcerer was sitting on the ledge of it, one arm supporting his chin, the other rested lazily on his knee. It seemed he was watching over him, and somehow it felt natural, save. _Who are you?_

* * *

He had heard the words clearly, and it was hard for Merlin not to react to them. It had happened before, though.  
He was only able to hear the unspoken words that were directly meant for him. He had made up a theory behind it all, and it said that the bond they had been given by destiny made it very easy to connect with each other.

He stared from under his hood at the King, who had in the meantime closed his eyes. He had followed him the whole way, just to make sure he wouldn't be killed this close from the finish line. Everything seemed to be peaceful now, and he, just as exhausted from the battle as Arthur, had sat down with him.

His gnawing conscience was bothering him, telling him he had been too weak to kill her, whilst killing hundreds of others had been no problem. He wanted it to stop, for he knew already that that would have been a better solution for everyone. But when the right time had been there, he had found himself unable to do it. His magic had reacted instinctively when sensing his frustration. And that was why the picture of Morgana's petrified form couldn't leave his thoughts.

A sudden noise broke the silence and his eyes opened in a reflex. He didn't know when he had closed them nor he knew for how long, but clearly enough time for a young revenge-seeking former druid boy to sneak up on a certain slumbering King risen sword and all.  
Mordred! How could he have missed such an important detail!? That was because he hadn't. He had just hoped that the prophecy had been wrong this time, so he could have some rest for a moment.

Big mistake.

He was one moment away from failure. If he didn't do something, everything would be lost. He couldn't think, he could't breathe, right now he couldn't even tell his very own name if asked. In this kind of situations he could only do one thing: trust blindly on his magic. The warmth of it spread through his whole body, giving him some sort of comfort. When it reached his eyes, his golden stare lighted the dark shadows made by his hood.  
He didn't know what to expect, but hoped he would know soon,  
because Mordred's sword had reached its maximum height. The blade, being unnaturally sharp, pointed directly towards the heart of his precious King.

It all happened too fast. Just as the blade moved down, his vision switched suddenly. He found himself standing in between the two enemies. His golden, resolute gaze locked with Mordred's.  
Before he could move, the blade had pierced his chest. The movement followed by an agonizing pain which tried to tear a loud scream from his lips. He suppressed it by clenching his jaws like it was his destiny to do so, still never losing eye-contact.

"_NOOO!_" Mordred's cry of rage echoed multiple times through the valley. Hastily he pulled his sword back and flinched slightly. A combination of surprise and fury for everyone to see on his face.

Merlin moved his left hand up to the wound and pressed to lessen the bleeding. Crimson covered his trembling hands, his cloak covered the evidence. His powers weakened and the golden light in his eyes faded, making place for the darkness once more. The pain was working to the point of becoming unbearable and he couldn't stand up right any second longer.  
Mordred's surprised look was gone and replaced by a messy, slightly creepy one.

"You fool!" he spat "He's supposed to be dead!" then suddenly he smirked. There was a tense pause, the only sound being Merlin's pained gasps. Slowly, yet certainly, Merlin lifted his head and stared once more into Mordred's eyes.

"Over my dead body" he told him with a dark voice, every word equally powerful. He didn't get why Mordred's smirk widened, more looking like a twisted smile. It was the sort smile that reminded Merlin of Morgana.

"If that is what it takes..." Once again Mordred raised the blood-covered sword, this time above his right shoulder, clearly meaning to end it once and for all. Merlin's eyes widened before he closed them in a reflex, preparing himself for the blow.  
But when none came, he slowly peeked through his eyelashes. The sight caused Merlin to open them fully. While releasing a sound of surprise and relief, he watched how Mordred's body froze and fell to the ground, glassy eyes staring into nothingness. He couldn't look away, his stare was locked on the ground which was slowly colouring a dark red, almost black in the shadows of the night. The blade, forged in the Great Dragon's breath, had touched the young man's heart. Death had taken him before he could get conscious of what had happened. A shiver ran through him at the thought.

He was startled by the point of Excalibur being less an inch away from his nose. He looked up to the King, who had just saved his life. Well, at least gave him time.

Arthur's head slowly cocked to the right and his brows furrowed in confusion.

"Merlin?" he asked while lifting one of his eyebrows. Slowly he moved Excalibur up to the edge of the Warlock's hood, and let the fabric fall onto Merlin's shoulders. The young man saw how a smile appeared on his friend's lips, even as his eyes were still uncomprehending. Arthur lowered Excalibur and put the sword back in its holder.  
Merlin managed to smile back, before blood loss claimed his last powers and caused him to go limp at once.

* * *

**A/N: Hello everyone who just read the first part of this story!  
I'm Elise and I have summerholiday! :D  
Therefor I gave myself a summer project.  
It is consisting of the story above this author's note*, and following oneshots about the time after the happy end.**

**! For which I would love to get prompts !**

***I decided to split it in two parts, because that way I could upload my project already and spent more time in part two. I promised this project to be uploaded a week ago in my other story 'Magical colour'. You should check it out, too ;)**

******I hope you enjoyed it so far, please let me know in a review. **


	2. The Horn Of Cathbhadh part 2

**'The Horn Of Cathbhadh' part 2**

* * *

Arthur caught his cloaked friend in a reflex, forgetting about the unimportant details like, well, magic. "Merlin?" His voice sounded slightly concerned "What's wrong?" Still Merlin's answer was nothing more than sharp breaths. He shifted the limp form and laid him down. "Mer-" That was when a crimson spot appeared on the blue fabric.  
Arthur felt himself panicking. Merlin couldn't die, he wasn't ready to lose him, he would never be!  
He didn't dare to look how bad it was. But he had to, if he wanted to treat the wound. He held the edge of the fabric between his trembling fingers and counted to three in his head.

He didn't come to three as he felt a hand was put on his. Merlin was looking at him, but his eyes weren't totally clear anymore. Almost unnoticeable, he shook his head.  
But it hadn't escaped Arthur's attention, and it caused his neck hairs to stand upright. Was it _that_ bad? The sudden, yet familiar pain of loss burned deep down in his heart. Though for Merlin it was a stronger, more overwhelming feeling than it had been for his father.

"No" his voice was nothing more than a broken whisper when he tried to speak through the lump in his throat. He slowly reached his left hand towards his neck, for the lump was choking. He could deny it, though the look in Merlin's eyes told him that this was real. A grimace showed upon his face, like the truth had only just grabbed his mind.

"Arth'r" Though Merlin had tried to comfort his friend, his voice showed just how much effort it cost to speak.

"_No!_" Arthur suddenly yelled, a pained expression trapped on his face, followed by a single sob. Merlin's blue eyes cleared up at the sound, and instantly filled with guilt. To Arthur's dissatisfaction, Merlin broke eye-contact and stared pensively before him. His lips narrowed and he closed his eyes.

* * *

_Isn't it a bit too late to have regrets? But surely there has to be something I can do! _His eyes pricked with tears._ This is all my fault. If I just-_

A chill seeped into his bones, freezing his skin and muscles. His eyes flew open and he sucked in a sharp breath. The movement of his chest sending a hot pain throughout his whole body. He coughed carefully, but the sound and the taste of iron it brought with it, wasn't good at all.  
A warm hand grabbed his.

"Merlin," the trembling voice of his friend made him look into his eyes once more. "Just... Just don't try to move, alright?" His friend's eyes moved back and forth, while searching for a solution. "I can bring you to the camp and... Everything is just..." He saw that even Arthur himself didn't believe in his own words. Tears now running freely down the lost King's cheeks.

He couldn't bring himself to deny it, even if they both knew it wasn't true. "...going to be fine" he whispered hoarsely as he laid his free hand upon Arthur's upper arm. He smiled through his tears to the man he had saved so many times to fulfill his destiny. Arthur didn't say anything, he just bit his lip to prevent another series of sobs.

He tried to fight death as long as possible, tried to be there for his friend, knowing he would cause him so much pain when he gave up. Seeing Arthur this broken made him feel sick to the bones, mainly because he was the cause of it.  
Deep inside he knew it was supposed to be like this. He was dying whilst saving his King, like it should be. But why was it then that he was feeling so bad about it? He had to comfort his friend, even if talking was painful as hell.

"Arth'r" _Oh come on! You can do this, talk! _He cleared his throat, wincing at the foul taste.  
"You're a great King, and one day, you'll be the greatest King Camelot has ever known. I believe in Albion, I believe in the goodness of magic..." slowly he sucked in another deep breath through his nose. "But most of all, I believe in you, my friend..." again he paused. This time he saw a warm, bright light appearing in the corner of his eyes. It felt like he was passing out, but the darkness wasn't there. It was replaced by a white, comforting softness. His time was running out.  
"I'll miss you..." he whispered with his last breath.

* * *

Merlin's eyes turned a faint shade of gold, before it faded, leaving his eyes all empty and glassy.

"Merlin!? No! Merlin s-, stay with me!" His hands gripped onto Merlin's shoulders, like it would withhold his fried from going. Totally defeated, he let his head sink to his fallen brother's chest. "Please" the whispered plea was followed by sobs filled with utter sadness.

_This is all my fault! I should have been the one laying there... If I hadn't been so weak, this hadn't happened at all.  
_Arthur didn't know how to feel, there were so many emotions, all so strong. He couldn't take it any longer.  
He threw his head in his neck and screamed with all his might, before he strengthened his grip on the blue fabric of the cloak and let his head sink once more down. He squeezed his eyes shut, blocking any left tears.

Footsteps echoed in the valley, stopping when they had spun around the corner. He had to look up, just not yet, he couldn't bring himself to it.

"Arthur!" Leon, his knights. A huge weight was lifted from his shoulders. Though he didn't feel comfortable appearing this weak in front of his knights. As the footsteps approached him, his grip tightened.

"Go away" he told them as commanding as possible. The footsteps, however, didn't stop.

"What's wrong?" Gwaine paused, but when no answer came he continued. "Who's that?" He stepped forwards but was held back by the strong arm of Percival. Behind Percival, Lancelot tried to push himself forwards. When his eyes fell upon the two men, he ducked to dodge Percival's other arm and let himself sink on his knees to the ground. He had to check it before he could even consider it. He leaned forwards and froze instantly. His eyes wide in shock.

"Merlin" He managed to whisper before he was pulled backwards by Gwaine.

"NO!" the agonized scream made their muscles tense and their neck hairs stand upright. _Their friend was gone..._

* * *

He had died. He was sure of it, because finally the intense pain was gone. So this was it then: futurity. The bright light weakened and allowed Merlin to have his sight back.

The first thing he perceived was the cold and empty atmosphere that formed itself all around him, making him feel slightly uncomfortable. The wind howled softly in the distance and the light that had been warm and bright, was now dim and oppressive. Just above the ground, at knee height, floated a thick layer of opaque fog. When he slowly lifted his gaze, his eyes widened. There was nothing more; this whole place consisted of light and fog.  
As the wind continued to howl softly, the sudden realization of loneliness came to him. He turned around to search for any companionship, but all in vain. "Hello?" he called as he didn't want to give up, but the overwhelming echo made him feel even more miserable. He let himself sink to the ground.  
Sitting up till his chest in the fog, he pulled up his knees and embraced himself. Seeking for some comfort.  
_Am I supposed to find this peaceful?_

* * *

Only one week had passed since Camlann. Every night had seemed darker, quieter, as if everything had abandoned him. The days had been one vague blur in which he wasn't sure if the sun had shone at all. Tonight it was the first night the army of Camelot had returned. He had ordered his men to bring the statue of his sister and the scepter with the blue crystal to the guarded treasury. They had put her in a separated cell, just to be sure.

Arthur hadn't spoken, besides mindless orders, since his knights had found him. In the beginning he didn't want to let go of Merlin's cloak, afraid to be alone... And when he actually had released the fabric, it was exactly _that_ what he felt: Loneliness.  
Even Guinevere couldn't comfort him, she herself had grief, too. Though she was there for him whenever he needed her. It was like his very sole just wasn't complete anymore.

In the middle of the Court yard was built a grand pyre, lit to commemorate the soldiers who had died fighting for the love of Camelot.  
Arthur stood on the balcony of the citadel and stared absently into the flames, in which were burning red cloaks and a small, red neckerchief. He closed his eyes and leaned with both of his forearms onto the stone railing.  
He just found himself not caring any longer about Merlin's magic, why would he anyway? Merlin was no longer.

When his father had died, Merlin had been there for him. He considered him the only person who had prevented him from braking, and therefor the whole Kingdom. And now... He didn't know anymore.  
He had to move on, if he wanted to be a good King, but he wasn't sure if he ever could be the King Merlin had believed him to be. Not without him by his side.

Just as he felt tears threatening to fall, two slim arms embraced his waist. He looked up to find his wife smiling a sad smile, whilst having tears in her own eyes, too. He shifted to put his arms around her. He laid his head upon her shoulder and breathed in the scent of her hair. They stood there for a while.  
Many citizens of the lower town, mostly women with children, were silently listening at the crackling fire. Now and then you could hear a soft sob, followed by comforting whispers.  
Arthur slowly lifted his head to stare at the flames once more. It was late, and a major part of the crowd had left or was leaving.

"You should sleep" he said softly as he dropped his arms, though not letting go of her hands.

"So should you" she told him. She freed one hand and cupped his cheek. Arthur put his hand on hers and leaned into the touch.

"I am their King, I leave after the last one has left" he watched how there were a few people left, even a young boy, not older than fifteen years was sitting alone.

"Then so will I" his wife told him before she tried to suppress a yawn. The King sighed and dropped his hand.

"Please?" he said softly whilst dropping his other arm, too. Gwen looked up one more time and nodded.

"Okay, but don't bring yourself down, Arthur. It's not your fault." she told him before she smiled sadly and opened the doors of the balcony.

.

The fifteen year old was the last one to leave. The fire had burned every cloak to ashes and the wood was nothing more than some red-glowing chunks. He stood up from the steps carefully, for he was wobbly from sitting for so long. After he had sighed deeply, he looked up towards Arthur and nodded in gratitude. Then he softly walked away.

Everything just didn't seem right without Merlin by his side. He took a shaky breath and opened the French doors to his bedroom. Gwen was sleeping peacefully, but with dried-up tear marks upon her cheeks. He shuffled over to his table and laid Excalibur upon it.

Just as he turned to walk over to the bed, his eyes were drawn towards a blue neckerchief laying upon the table. He was certain that it hadn't been there when he just passed the spot.  
Quickly he walked over to it and grabbed it. It was soft and worn out, even the colour had faded, definitely Merlin's. As he lifted the fabric he saw it had covered two objects; A small, green bottle and a note. The neckerchief was laid down with a sort of respect while the note was picked up hastily.

_"My Friend,_

_I'm so sorry for everything..._

_If you can ever forgive me,_

_please come and see me. I can wait for a long time..._

_Faithfully yours, Merlin."_

Suddenly, a huge smile, like the one of a small child, appeared upon Arthur's face. His eyes seemed to sparkle once more. _Of course! Oh Merlin, you're so clever! _He couldn't suppress a laugh any longer, as he picked up the green bottle and pressed his lips upon it. He put it down so he could stuff the blue neckerchief into one of his pockets. He made his way towards the door, when Guinevere's voice resounded in the chamber.

"Arthur? What are you- Where are you going?" she sat upright, leaning onto her elbows. Her husband turned on his heels and opened his mouth to say something, but was stopped once again. "Can't it wait 'till tomorrow? It's still dark outside." There she had a point. The great stones of Nemeton would be long ride, and he was exhausted from all the passed events.  
Tomorrow morning, he would leave immediately. Well, maybe after taking a bath, and having some breakfast.  
He nodded his head and walked over to his side of the bed, where he sat down and removed his boots and shirt.  
Leaning backwards he gave his wife a kiss upon her brow.

"Good night" he said softly, before receiving a short and mumbled "'night".

.

"Honey, are you up already?" Gwen knocked softly on the door.

Arthur took in a deep breath which soon changed into a yawn. His blue eyes opened and his lips smiled immediately. The room was drenched by sunlight, making every colour the chamber possessed look brighter. He couldn't find his pillow beneath his head for is was laying on the ground next to him. It was replaced by his own upper arm though, but at the cost of the feeling in his forearm. His left one was now sticking out of the bed and hanging paralyzed above his pillow. His sheets were chaotically trying to cover his right leg that was laying at the head of the bed, whilst his blanket was nowhere to be seen anymore. Probably somehow fallen off the bed so he thought.

He raised his right hand from behind his back and brushed past his stuffed pocket. His brows slightly furrowed questioning as he picked what was filling his pocket. He lifted his head slowly to see it was Merlin's blue neckerchief. There was a short pause for he was only just awake, before the realization -soon followed by enthusiasm- came to him. His eyes shot towards the table upon which the small green bottle was still sitting.

He shifted both of his legs and used them to pull himself towards his side of the bed. Once arrived, he used his movable arm to pull himself up with the fitted sheet. After is was loosened, Arthur was finally sitting.

"Arthur?" Gwen opened the doors and laughed at what she saw. "I hope you slept well?"

"I let you sleep because of all the circumstances" she said while closing the doors behind her and walking towards her husband. Arthur quickly stood up and walked three steps before he had to hold on to the wooden pole of the four poster. He waited till the black spots had disappeared then grinned at Guinevere.

He hugged her tightly with both of his arms, for it was finally starting to live again. He wanted to lift her, but he didn't trust his tingling arm just yet. "I love you"

"Love you, too, but... how are you so happy?" she asked surprised. She hadn't expected this at all after everything, though she vaguely remembered Arthur being excited about something yesterday evening.

Arthur stopped his hug and leaned backwards. He couldn't tell her, maybe later, but she would probably stop him from going. His whole plan would be ruined! His thoughts must have shown upon his face for his wife cupped his cheek. "Oh, Arthur, I'm sorry. I didn't want to bring you out of your happiness" she sad softly. He looked into her honey-brown eyes and smiled warmly.

"It's fine" he said and softly kissed her lips.

.

As soon as he had finished his breakfast, he had taken a bath and had dressed himself. He opened the door of his chamber and peeked around the corner like a small child that had some mischief in mind. To Arthur's misfortune, there was a guard standing two feet away from his head, trying to suppress a smirk. Quickly, Arthur stepped back and straightened himself. He was the King after all.  
He tried again, this time as if a moment ago had never happened, and stepped with one calm step out of his chamber. He nodded to the guard, who joined in and nodded back as if he saw him for the first time today, before he walked down the corridors towards the treasury.

He took one of the lit torches out of its holder and walked down the stone steps. It was colder than he remembered, and with every step he took down, it became more noticeable. The moment his foot touched the ground, a shiver ran down his spine. He frowned, but shrugged it off; probably it was just him imagining things.

There was light coming from torches at the end of the hallway. Two guards were standing silently next to the stairs and two were talking in the distance. He was surprised to see that in this area were none of the torches lighted, and wondered why. He took a step closer to the guards and heard they were breathing quicker than they should. He reached out his torch to the nearest, "Here" he paused, "Lit those torches" he waited till the man in front of him had taken the torch from him, and received a nod of gratitude.

He turned around while taking a deep breath, and focused upon the moving flames in the distance. He didn't like this place and actually he felt the urge to run, but he couldn't do that. Again; he was the King after all. Therefor he found himself walking in a restrained pace, before he stopped moving at all when he passed the dark cell of his sister. His hands squeezed in the bars as his eyes were focused upon his sisters unmoving form. It lacked nothing; even the smallest details like eyelashes were made of stone. She stood so still... _did she just-?_ His whole body was covered with goosebumps and he quickly tore his eyes away from the statue. He shook his head, and came close to running the rest of the way, who cares about royal walks anyway?

As he spun around the corner he released a breath of relief. When the two guards noticed him, they stopped talking immediately and greeted him with a short "Sire". He nodded back and walked over to the doors of the magical collection. He took the key hanging on his belt, and unlocked the door with a soft click.  
Still knowing where he had put it the last time, he soon found the old decorated horn. He picked it up from the shelf and held it in frond of him. He blew of the dust it was covered with, and studied it one last time before putting it in his pocket with a satisfied smile.

.

His horse was stopped by the pull on the reigns as soon as Arthur looked at the great stones of Nemeton. It was sunset, and the breath-taking colours of the skies embraced the stones warmly.  
The area looked so much different than it had looked once. Somehow it just looked more welcoming. He clicked his tongue and his horse continued its way.

His original plan was to bring Merlin back. But when he was actually standing here, everything looked so peaceful. He asked himself if is was a selfish thing to do; maybe Merlin didn't want to go back at all. The thought was troubling him, for it was the thing he desired most, but he didn't want to force his friend.  
He couldn't ask either, because Merlin would most likely choose Arthur's wants before his own. He just had to wait until Merlin would ask himself, and he had to be happy if he could only see his friend again.

He dismounted and walked over to the saddlebag which contained the Horn of Cathbhadh. Hesitantly, he grabbed the ivory horn and closed the bag again. Walking down the hill, he raised the horn towards his lips. He took a deep breath and blew on the Horn.  
The sound made black birds fly away from behind the stones into the distance.

* * *

Merlin looked up surprised when hearing the sound of the Horn. He hadn't expected that Arthur would come to see him this fast. Although time didn't matter anymore in this world, so years could have passed, just as well. Quickly Merlin stood up from the fog and unknowingly he began to pace.  
He didn't have a plan actually. He just wanted to see him again, and ask him for forgiveness. Deep inside he longed to get out of this stifling place, it gave him the impression he was trapped... And that he would be so for all eternity. He wanted to be free, see the most precious and beautiful things of the world. Those little things which put a smile on your face. He just wanted to _live_ again...

He knew it was not his right to bother Arthur with the question. Arthur had experienced this with his father and probably didn't want Merlin to return. It would only make him feel guilty; a thing that would ruin the last time they saw each other. He sighed sadly and walked over to the opening gate of light.

* * *

The King walked in the direction of the light that, in contrast to the soft, warm sunset, was sharp and bright. Having a feeling of déjavu, he waited til it swallowed him wholly.

The light weakened and the world around him slowly appeared. In the distance, a figure, consisting of warm, golden light seemed to near him. "Merlin?" he called when focusing better. His friend's form became clearer and he saw his raven hair and his trademark clothes.

"Arthur!" A wide smile tugged on Arthur's lips when seeing Merlin was taking a sprint. Arthur followed his friend's example and met him half way, to both end up in a tight hug. "Arthur" Merlin said into his shoulder, half sobbing "I- I'm so sorry"

Arthur cut him off with a shush. "Don't be, Merlin... It doesn't matter, it's okay". It seemed to ease Merlin as his sobs slowly ebbed away. They broke apart but didn't drop their arms, for they both needed each other's contact after being separated for too long. Merlin rubbed his eyes with the sleeve of his free arm, while Arthur studied him a bit better.

"Why is it that you are solid?" He asked after a short pause. Merlin seemed surprised by the question and looked at his hand. He frowned, opened his mouth to say something, then shrugged.

* * *

"I think I'm only solid in this... world" _If you can call it like that._ He looked up to see Arthur nodding understandingly. The silence didn't last long for the blonde was curious to yet another matter.

"And why is it that you're golden?" _Am I-? _He looked down and came to the conclusion he was indeed shining a bright gold. "My father was at that time a cold blue. Why aren't you?"

"I don't know... I'll think about it" He smiled at his friend. _I've got a lot of time to think. _His eyes saddened and he looked away. Suddenly he felt a weird tugging feeling at his whole body. His eyes widened. _No! Please, not yet! This is too little time!_

"What is it?" Arthur asked worriedly. Merlin looked up confused and let go off Arthur's arm.

"The gate's are closing" he said hastily. "You've got to go" He couldn't bring himself to say goodbye. He didn't want this to be a goodbye. The question burned upon his tongue 'Take me with you, please!' But he couldn't say it. It was Arthur's choice; he was the one to look back after all.

* * *

He couldn't leave his friend, it would be the same as loosing him again. But he knew he had to; Merlin hadn't asked. Blinking back the tears, he nodded stiffly. "Well," he begun, "Goodbye, then" His words made Merlin look up and he saw his eyes were glistening with tears, too. Though he didn't return the word.

He took a deep breath and turned around, his only task was not to look back now. _Don't do it, don't do it, don't do it... _He repeated it over and over again until he had almost reached the gate.

_Oh forget it! I am after all, one, arrogant, selfish prat!_

He looked back, only to see Merlin was cheering like a total idiot.

* * *

**Yay! The end of 'The Horn of Cathbhadh'**

**Hope you liked it? Please Review if you did, or didn't :D**

**So now I need some prompts! For: "How would you like Merlin to make his Great comeback? Uther slammed open the doors and ruined the table, what should Merlin do?"  
**

**But if you have a prompt for a one-shot and/or drabble , just tell me, I would love to hear them :)  
**

**-Elise **


	3. Missing Merlin

_Drabble  
hurt/comfort, three days after Arthur's visit.  
_**'Missing Merlin'**_  
_

* * *

Arthur laid the blue neckerchief down on his desk and rested his chin upon his folded hands.  
Midnight had passed hours ago, but Arthur couldn't sleep.

_Why hasn't Merlin returned yet? _

Arthur sighed deeply and ran one of his hands through his messy, blond hair. That was when the door of his chamber opened softly and Gwen stepped inside, her eyes glistening with tears.

"Arthur" she said with a small voice. Arthur didn't say anything, but stood up from his chair and, knowing he couldn't do much else to comfort her, walked over to where she stood and embraced her tightly.

His wife cried quietly into his chest. "I miss him, Arthur" she said between two sobs. He stroke her brown curls tenderly, feeling guilty that he couldn't tell her about his deeds.

"I miss him, too, my love..." he whispered.

* * *

**Any prompts? :) **

**-Elise**


	4. The Merlin

_This is a one-shot about how Merlin announces himself. A week after Arthur's visit._

**'The Merlin'**

* * *

Arthur sighed deeply as he looked around the throne room for the umpteenth time, searching for something that could possibly distract him from this council meeting. But no matter how hard he tried, the voices wouldn't disappear to the background.

The meeting was about the fallen men, again. It was all they could talk about since they got back, and he hated it. Each council they would discuss 30 men and talk about their family, money and optional a small speech from the men who knew the soldier personally. He felt so hopeless down during these meetings, and it was hard to climb up again.

"...he was a brave man..."

"...no more family to give the money to..."

"..but his sixteen year old son is an orphan now, and he is already offered a job in the royal household..."

The King sighed and stared at the place Merlin should have been standing. He had been so happy just after he returned from Nemeton, his sole had felt whole again, but with every passing day Merlin wasn't there, it seemed the anticipation had been based upon a lie. There had even been a point he had considered the visit as imagination, but he had quickly pushed that thought away. First he had been upset with Merlin, but he soon realized that it wasn't Merlin's fault. If Merlin wanted to stay in the world of the dead, he couldn't blame him for that. He had to accept his choice.  
When he felt tears pricking behind his eyes, he took a deep breath through his nose and sat backwards in his seat.

Gwen had sensed his mood and rested her hand upon his. He looked shortly into her eyes and smiled sadly, before he folded their hands and concentrated on the standing man once more. The noble had apparently just finished his speech. Leon stood up when the man sat down, meaning to start the discussion of the next name.

Suddenly the heavy, oak doors of the throne room were thrown open with great force. He felt Gwen squeezing his hand slightly, as every noble fell silent and looked up towards the replaced chandelier in shock, expecting it to fall all of a sudden. Some men even stood up and stepped backwards. Arthur let go of his wife's hand and gripped the handrails of his chair tightly. Hope dared to float back into his heart, and he waited expectantly for some miraculous sign to show.

Seconds ticked by in which nothing seemed to happen, when suddenly a small falcon came flying into the room, through the open doors. It had won the full attention of every present in the room and flew gracefully towards the round table, where it landed in the center.

Everyone who had stepped back, walked over to their place once more to get a better look upon the bird. It had blue wings and a white chest, decorated with red speckles. Its eyes were circled by a bright yellow. The animal seemed to hold something in its beak, causing many nobles to frown and lean forward a bit. The council held its breath, not exactly knowing what was going on, but immensely curious.

The falcon looked around excitedly, after which it started to hop in the direction of the King. The nobles gaped it all the way until it stopped a few inches away from the man and blinked expectantly. Arthur slowly stretched out his hand and held it open beneath the bird's beak. The creature slowly bowed its head and dropped the object upon Arthur's hand. It chirped happily and waited for the King to study it.

Arthur watched the falcon suspiciously, before holding up a quite small piece of red cloth. The edges were all burned and soot had soiled it, but the fabric was still soft and familiar. It was the remainder of Merlin's burned neckerchief...

He lowered his hand and stared dumbfounded towards the bird, who chirped once more.

"Sire?" Gaius' voice was the first thing that broke the long silence. Arthur looked towards the old physician, after having some trouble releasing his eyes from the winged animal. "It's a merlin..." he was told softly. Directly his gaze landed upon the happy falcon again, a smirk showing upon his lips.  
Suddenly the merlin flew up, only to land upon Arthur's shoulder. He let out a marveled sound, and moved up his hand to pet the creature, which leaned into his touch eagerly and puffed up.

Arthur cleaned his throat and stood up. "Council dismissed" he said shortly, after which he walked out of the throne room, accompanied by the happy falcon. Guinevere bit her lip, worries for her husband evident in her eyes.

* * *

Servants looked back twice to follow the phenomenon with their curious eyes. The King, however, didn't even notice the stares he received as he was too busy getting to his chambers. All the way, the colourful bird flew hot on Arthur's heels until it landed upon his head.

Arthur opened the doors of his chamber and slammed them shut again. Quickly he walked over to his side of the bed and shoved open the tray of his nightstand. Picking up the green potion, he removed the cap and took a sip, immediately grimacing at its foul taste.  
As soon as he turned around he was startled by the golden figure of his friend. He hadn't expected he could see him this soon.  
Merlin sat upon the table and rested his feet upon the nearest chair.

"Hey" he said grinning widely at the King, who seemed to relax a bit.

"Merlin!" he smiled happily at the man he had considered gone a few minutes ago. "So good to see you again" He had never felt so glad in his whole life to see Merlin. Though he couldn't suppress the words that came out of his mouth the next moment. "What took you so long?" He tried to hide his disappointment with a mocking smile, but knew Merlin could read him anyway.

The eyes of his slightly transparent friend filled with guilt for a moment, before he hasty started to talk. "I'm so sorry, Arthur! I really wanted to sign you, believe me, I really did... But I didn't know _how_. You can't trow open such heavy doors without any practice, you know. I thought the doors would be the best icebreaker" he huffed at his own joke. "so after a lot of practice, I finally mastered the doors. And then there was the next sign, for which I had absolutely no inspiration. I definitely didn't want to ruin the table and the chandelier, so I had to come up with something original. And that was when this little buddy came flying to me." He whistled two short tones and tapped upon the wood next to him. Immediately the falcon flew up from Arthur's shoulder and landed upon the indicated spot. "You see? Apparently, animals can see me!" The warlock smiled excitedly and failed in his attempt to pet the animal.

Arthur laughed at his friend. He had missed the happy rambling and grins. Merlin had come back for him and he would stay at his side for life.

* * *

**I had good fun writing this, any prompts so far? **

**What name would you give to our winged friend?**

**-Elise**


	5. Do ghosts sleep?

_two-shot._

**'Out Hunting'**

* * *

The King woke to find his bed abandoned by his wife. Sleepily, he lifted his head and peeked through his eyelashes. A joyful smile ran away from his lips as he realized just how great life was. After taking a deep breath, he threw away the covers and stepped out of his bed. Immediately picking up the green bottle out of his opened nightstand. Even the foul taste that tortured his taste buds after he had taken a sip couldn't ruin his mood.

He spun around to see that his fallen friend was sleeping upon his bed, seeming to have made himself quite comfortable. "Merlin!" he called, a bit louder than necessary.

"What!" Merlin jolted upright and hastily scanned the chamber with raised hand and focused eyes. His hand dropped and he fell backward when seeing no grave danger. Merlin sighed and opened his eyes, slower this time and looked towards the grinning posture of his friend. One of Arthur's eyebrows raised, while folding his arms over his chest.

"Do ghosts sleep?" he asked curiously. Merlin closed his eyes and frowned slightly, he knew the answer already; no, they don't need to sleep at all. But Merlin didn't like the way death felt like. It felt so very different from being alive, like he wasn't fully welcome in the world of the living anymore. Though this world was his home, and it always would be. He would do anything to stay here. The thought of going back to that... nothingness, scared him more than anything.

Only the living needed to sleep, they couldn't be what they were without it; the living. Being dead, he never felt tired, but it wasn't impossible to dream and rest at nighttime. Sleeping made him feel more alive, more welcome, even though he knew he wasn't.

He smiled, deciding not to overthink the matter. Not bothering to open his eyes, he stretched himself and brought his arms above his head to lay his head comfortably upon his folded hands. "This ghost does"

Arthur grabbed a pillow and threw it in Merlin's direction. The pillow bounced upon the bed, not seeming to have any trouble going through a person, and landed on the ground next to the bed. Merlin shot upright and pointed, very manly, a pointy finger towards his friend with a loud, "HA!"

The King rolled his eyes and walked towards his wardrobe. "So, Merlin" he clapped his hands. "Let's go out hunting" he said grinning to himself. Merlin looked at him suspiciously with one raised eyebrow.

"And how exactly are we going to carry the stuff, we surely can't bring two horses with us?"

"You'll figure something out" he said dryly.

* * *

Merlin had taken the detour to make sure no one saw the luggage. He made the bunch of floating stuff go through the open window of the stables and he himself walked through the wall. The smell of hay and horses made him smile; he had missed it.  
A few horses were standing in a row, tied to the wall and eating calmly. He looked to the door and decided it would be safer to lock it. A brown horse neighed when it noticed the golden young man. Merlin made a saddle fly up from the wall and towards the horse's back.

"Good..." he paused and cocked his head. "...boy" he said as he had finished readying the horse, after which he unlocked the door and made his way to Arthur's chambers.

* * *

**Thank you for reading, and let me know what you think.**

**I like to get prompts, and if you want to keep the falcon into the story, (which I want very badly) give me his name please :)**

**-Elise**


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